U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5015

ESTIMATED DOMESTIC, IRRIGATION, AND INDUSTRIAL

WATER USE IN WASHINGTON, 2000

Since 1950, the U.S. Geological Survey has published a series of Circulars and other reports on the estimated use of water 

in the United States at 5-year intervals. This report presents State, regional, and county estimates of the amount of water used for 

domestic, irrigation, and industrial purposes in the State of Washington during the year 2000. Domestic water use was estimated 

to be 674 million gallons per day and the per-capita rate, 114 gallons per day. Crop-irrigation water use was estimated to be 3,005 

million gallons per day and the application rate, 2.2 acre-feet per acre per year, or feet per year. Golf-course irrigation water use 

was estimated to be 23.6 million gallons per day and the application rate, 1.4 feet per year. Industrial water use was estimated to 

be 681 million gallons per day. Historically, these core categories account for about 92 percent of the estimated offstream water 

used in Washington.

By R.C. Lane

INTRODUCTION

Water use, in the broadest sense, pertains to the interaction of human activity with the hydrologic cycle. Water 

use can be divided into two types, offstream and instream

use. Offstream use is withdrawal or diversion of water from 

a ground- or surface-water source for a specific purpose. 

Instream use is the use of water that remains in the ground- or 

surface-water source. Quantitative estimates for most instream 

uses are undetermined, but are important because such uses 

compete with offstream uses and affect the quality and quantity 

of water resources. As used in this report, water use refers to 

the offstream use of water for domestic, irrigation, or industrial 

purposes. 

Water use in Washington has evolved in the past century 

from meager domestic and stock water needs to the current 

complex requirements of domestic-water users, large irrigation 

projects, industrial plants, and numerous other uses such as 

fish habitat and recreational activities. Although advances have 

been made in the ability to control, divert, and develop water 

supplies, little effort has gone into keeping accurate accounts 

of the actual amounts of water being used. With increasing 

competition for water (especially during periods of drought), 

water-use information is of considerable value in determining 

water availability and in making sound resource-management 

decisions. Although the State of Washington has begun to collect water-use information in selected basins, there is currently 

no statewide program requiring the reporting of water-use 

information to the State.

Since 1950, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has published a series of Circulars and other reports on the estimated 

use of water in the United States at 5-year intervals (see entries 

under U.S. Geological Survey in “Selected References”). 

These reports contain State-level estimates of the amount of 

public- and self-supplied water used for offstream commercial, domestic, industrial, irrigation, livestock, mining, power 

generation, and other purposes. Between 1985 and 1995, the 

core categories of domestic, irrigation, and industrial water use 

accounted for about 92 percent of the estimated offstream water 

use in Washington (U.S. Geological Survey, 1997a,b,c). The 

remaining 8 percent included public- and self-supplied water 

used for commercial, livestock, mining, power generation, and 

other uses.

Purpose and Scope

This report presents estimates of the amount water used 

for offstream domestic, crop and golf-course irrigation, and 

industrial purposes in the State of Washington during the year 

2000, and describes the methods and sources used to prepare 

the estimates.

Description of Study Area

The north-south-trending Cascade Range and the prevailing wind patterns divide Washington State into two regions of 

distinctly different climate (Dion, 1985; Williams, 1986). Western Washington has a predominantly marine climate with cool, 

dry summers and mild, wet winters. Precipitation averages 

about 70 in/yr (inches per year), but ranges from less than 20 

in/yr to about 200 in/yr. Evaporation ranges from 20 to 25 in/yr, 

and generally is less than precipitation. Eastern Washington has 

characteristics of both continental and marine climates, with 

hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters. Precipitation averages about 20 in/yr, but ranges from less than 7 in/yr to about 

40 in/yr. Evaporation ranges from 25 to 45 in/yr, and generally 

exceeds precipitation.

Printed on recycled paper
������

����

��������

�����

�����

������

�����

�������

�������

�����

�������

��������

������

������

�������

�������

������

�������

���������

�������

���������

���������

��������

�������

�����

�����

������

�������

��������

�����

����

�������

������������ ������

��������

������

��������

������

��������

���

����

���������

���

���

���� ����

� �� �� �� ���������

� �� �� �� ��������������

����������������������������

�������������������������

�����������

�����������

�����������

�����������

����������

�����������

������� �������

�����

��

�������

�����

Figure 1. Estimated domestic water use in Washington, 2000.

2 Estimated Domestic, Irrigation, and Industrial Water Use in Washington, 2000

DOMESTIC WATER USE

Domestic water use in Washington in the year 2000 was 

estimated to be 674 Mgal/d (million gallons per day; table 1). 

Public water-supply systems delivered 81 percent (549 Mgal/

d) of the total domestic water use. Self-supplied withdrawals of ground water accounted for almost all of the remaining 

19 percent (125 Mgal/d) of the total domestic use (table 1). 

The counties with the largest domestic use were (in descending order of use) King, Spokane, Pierce, Snohomish, Yakima, 

Clark, Thurston, and Kitsap Counties (fig. 1). These eight 

counties accounted for 73 percent (490 Mgal/d) of the total 

domestic water use in Washington. The per-capita domestic 

water use rate for the State was estimated to be 114 gal/d (gallons per day). The estimated per-capita rates for the 39 counties 

in Washington ranged from 87 to 238 gal/d (table 1; fig. 2).

 Domestic water use in western Washington was estimated 

to be 445 Mgal/d, or 66 percent of the total domestic water use 

in the State. Public water-supply systems delivered 83 percent 

(371 Mgal/d) of the regional total. Self-supplied withdrawals 

of ground water accounted for the remaining 17 percent (74 

Mgal/d) of the regional use. The western Washington counties 

with the largest domestic use were King, Pierce, Snohomish, 

and Clark Counties. These four counties accounted for 87 percent (388 Mgal/d) of the regional use. The per-capita domestic 

water-use rate for western Washington was estimated to be 

97 gal/d. The estimated per-capita rates for the 19 counties in 

western Washington ranged from 87 to 158 gal/d.

How large is a million gallons per day? 

A million gallons per day as a rate of flow of water is equal 

to 133,680.56 cubic feet per day, or 1.5472 cubic feet per 

second, or 3.0689 acre-feet per day. A flow of 1 million 

gallons per day for 1 year equals 1,120 acre-feet (365 

million gallons). 
Table 1. Estimated domestic water use in Washington by county and source, 2000

[Values may not add up to totals because of independent rounding; Total domestic: Per capita, values are total withdrawals + deliveries divided by population 

served; Abbreviations: Mgal/d, million gallons per day; gal/d, gallons per day]

County

Self supplied Public supplied Total domestic

Population 

served 

(thousands)

Ground water 

(Mgal/d)

Population 

served 

(thousands)

Water 

(Mgal/d)

Population 

served 

(thousands)

Total 

water use 

(Mgal/d)

Per capita 

water use 

(gal/d)

 

 Adams 5.25 1.31 11.2 2.48 16.40 3.79 231

 Asotin 1.31 .21 19.2 3.68 20.60 3.89 189

 Benton 28.6 3.32 114 13.1 142.00 16.4 115 

 Chelan 16.8 2.00 49.8 5.87 66.60 7.87 118

 Clallam 13.7 1.41 50.8 5.06 64.50 6.47 100

 Clark 92.0 7.73 253 28.1 345.00 35.8 104 

 Columbia 1.33 .22 2.73 .52 4.06 .74 182

 Cowlitz 23.4 2.69 69.5 8.00 93.00 10.7 115

 Douglas 3.76 .53 28.8 3.12 32.60 3.65 112 

 Ferry 4.38 1.66 2.88 .36 7.26 1.02 141

 Franklin 10.5 2.21 38.9 8.10 49.40 10.3 209

 Garfield .93 .15 1.47 .28 2.40 .43 179 

 Grant 25.1 5.30 49.6 9.88 74.70 15.2 203

 Grays Harbor 11.9 1.80 55.3 8.31 67.20 10.1 150

 Island 8.82 1.03 62.7 5.39 71.60 6.42 90 

 Jefferson 6.44 .66 19.5 1.97 26.00 2.63 101

 King 144 16.0 1,595 135 1,735.00 151 87

 Kitsap 41.4 4.43 191 16.2 232.40 20.6 89 

 Kittitas 11.7 1.39 21.7 6.55 33.40 7.94 238

 Klickitat 7.43 .94 11.7 2.07 19.20 3.01 157

 Lewis 34.1 3.41 34.5 4.30 68.60 7.71 112 

 Lincoln 3.86 .63 6.32 1.19 10.20 1.82 178

 Mason 16.9 1.86 32.5 3.59 49.40 5.45 110

 Okanogan 18.5 3.74 21.1 4.06 39.60 7.80 197

 

 Pacific 4.73 .83 16.3 2.48 21.00 3.31 158

 Pend Oreille 6.34 .70 5.39 .53 11.73 1.23 105

 Pierce 26.0 3.06 675 63.8 701.00 66.9 95 

 San Juan 6.80 .78 7.28 .66 14.10 1.44 102

 Skagit 33.9 4.23 69.1 8.57 103.00 12.8 124

 Skamania 4.14 .41 5.73 .56 9.87 .97 98 

 Snohomish 103 10.6 504 50.1 606.00 60.7 100

 Spokane 49.3 11.7 369 79.0 418.00 90.7 217

 Stevens 16.7 1.85 23.4 2.55 40.10 4.40 110 

 Thurston 70.9 8.65 136 16.8 207.00 25.5 123

 Wahkiakum .90 .09 2.92 .30 3.82 .39 102

 Walla Walla 8.66 1.06 46.5 5.40 55.20 6.46 117 

 Whatcom 35.4 3.93 131 12.0 167.00 15.9 95

 Whitman 5.53 .90 35.2 3.24 40.70 4.14 102

 Yakima 89.4 12.7 133 25.7 223.00 38.4 172 

 State 994 1125 4,905 549 5,890.00 674 114 

1

Includes 0.02 million gallons per day surface-water withdrawal.

Domestic Water Use 3
������

����

��������

�����

�����

������

�����

�������

�������

�����

�������

��������

������

������

�������

�������

������

�������

���������

�������

���������

���������

��������

�������

�����

�����

������

�������

��������

�����

����

�������

������������ ������

��������

������

��������

������

��������

���

����

���������

���

���

���� ����

� �� �� �� ���������

� �� �� �� ��������������

������������������������������

��������������������������

��������

���������

��������

���������

���������

�����������

�������������

�����

��

�������

�����

������� �������

Figure 2. Estimated per-capita domestic water use in Washington, 2000.

4 Estimated Domestic, Irrigation, and Industrial Water Use in Washington, 2000

public-water systems in the State. The database does not, 

however, contain information on water withdrawals and use. 

The USGS collected withdrawal and usage data from 

178 (7.5 percent) of the 2,340 registered Class A Systems. 

The selected systems accounted for 51 percent of the total 

public-supplied population. The criteria for selecting supply 

systems were to provide spatial coverage of each county in the 

State and to include a representative mix of the municipal, 

non-municipal, or other types of public-supply systems in the 

individual counties.

 The withdrawal and use data from the inventoried systems 

in each county were used to calculate domestic per-capita use 

rates for the non-inventoried systems in that county. Each noninventoried system was assigned a per-capita rate based on the 

type of system, and that rate was multiplied by the system’s service population to produce a system-level estimate of domestic 

water use. These system-level estimates and service populations 

were summed to produce the county-level estimates of publicsupplied domestic water use, population served, and per-capita 

use of public-supplied water. 

Domestic water use in eastern Washington was estimated 

to be 229 Mgal/d, or 34 percent of the total domestic water use 

in the State. Public water-supply systems delivered 77 percent 

(179 Mgal/d) of the regional total. Self-supplied withdrawals of 

ground water accounted for almost all of the remaining 23 percent (52 Mgal/d) of the regional total. The eastern Washington 

counties with the largest domestic use were Spokane, Yakima, 

Benton, and Grant Counties. These four counties accounted 

for 71 percent (163 Mgal/d) of the regional use. The per-capita 

domestic water-use rate for eastern Washington was estimated 

to be 175 gal/d. The estimated per-capita rates for the 20 eastern Washington counties ranged from 102 to 238 gal/d.

The estimates of public-supplied water use are based 

on data from the Washington State Department of Health 

(WDOH), the U.S. Census Bureau, and withdrawal and use 

information collected by the USGS during an inventory of 

selected public water-supply systems. A list of all registered 

public water-supply systems in Washington was obtained from 

the WDOH on-line database (Washington State Department 

of Health, 2001). The database contains the names, locations, 

service populations, and other data for all 16,677 registered 
Table 2. Estimated crop-irrigation water use in Washington by county and source, 2000

[Values may not add up to totals due to independent rounding; Application rate: Values are total withdrawals divided by thousands of acres irrigated]

County

Withdrawals

(million gallons per day)

Withdrawals

(thousand acre-feet per year)

Acres 

irrigated 

(thousand 

acres)

Application 

rate 

(acre-feet per 

acre per year)

Ground

water

Surface 

water Total Ground water

Surface 

water Total

 

 Adams 107 79.7 187 120 89.2 209 135 1.6 

 Asotin .03 .17 .20 .03 .19 .22 .30 .7 

 Benton 18.2 219 237 20.3 245 265 140 1.9 

 Chelan 3.11 47.2 50.3 3.48 52.8 56.3 27.9 2.0 

 Clallam .17 5.63 5.80 .19 6.31 6.50 3.44 1.9 

 Clark 3.52 1.21 4.73 3.94 1.35 5.29 3.50 1.5 

 Columbia .28 4.03 4.31 .31 4.51 4.82 3.26 1.5 

 Cowlitz .00 3.21 3.21 .00 3.60 3.60 2.95 1.2 

 Douglas 3.06 21.4 24.5 3.43 24.00 27.4 19.3 1.4 

 Ferry .80 3.69 4.49 .90 4.13 5.03 4.26 1.2 

 Franklin 120 317 437 135 355 490 201 2.5 

 Garfield .03 .48 .51 .03 .54 .57 .63 .9 

 Grant 258 672 930 289 753 1,040 406 2.6 

 Grays Harbor 1.96 1.11 3.07 2.20 1.24 3.44 2.80 1.3 

 Island .78 .12 .90 .87 .13 1.00 1.26 .8 

 Jefferson .86 .20 1.06 .96 .22 1.18 .78 1.5 

 King 2.15 .63 2.78 2.41 .71 3.12 3.00 1.1 

 Kitsap .17 .20 .37 .19 .22 .41 .34 1.2 

 Kittitas .00 199 199 .00 223 223 69.2 3.2 

 Klickitat 16.5 10.0 26.5 18.5 11.2 29.7 18.40 1.6 

 Lewis 3.06 2.95 6.01 3.43 3.30 6.73 5.26 1.3 

 Lincoln 27.8 8.09 35.90 31.2 9.06 40.3 43.7 .9 

 Mason .27 .12 .39 .30 .13 .43 .35 1.3 

 Okanogan 19.8 52.8 72.6 22.2 59.1 81.3 43.50 1.9 

 Pacific 1.14 2.12 3.26 1.28 2.37 3.65 3.07 1.2 

 Pend Oreille .28 .46 .74 .31 .51 .82 1.44 .6 

 Pierce 4.40 1.10 5.50 4.93 1.23 6.16 4.70 1.3 

 San Juan .03 .19 .22 .03 .21 .24 .82 .3 

 Skagit 6.65 1.74 8.39 7.45 1.95 9.40 8.95 1.1 

 Skamania .00 .25 .25 .00 .28 .28 .25 1.1 

 Snohomish 1.84 1.22 3.06 2.06 1.37 3.43 3.81 .9 

 Spokane 8.06 1.10 9.16 9.03 1.23 10.3 9.77 1.1 

 Stevens 1.53 8.00 9.53 1.71 8.96 10.7 9.12 1.2 

 Thurston 4.62 1.54 6.16 5.18 1.72 6.90 5.07 1.4 

 Wahkiakum .07 .12 .19 .08 .14 .22 .16 1.4 

 Walla Walla 42.2 81.9 124 47.3 91.8 139 88.6 1.6 

 Whatcom 18.2 5.07 23.3 20.4 5.68 26.1 23.5 1.1 

 Whitman .63 2.17 2.80 .71 2.43 3.14 4.99 .6 

 Yakima 62.1 507 569 69.5 568 638 253 2.5 

 State 739 2,265 3,005 829 2,535 3,365 1,555 2.2

Domestic Water Use 5
������

����

��������

�����

�����

������

�����

�������

�������

�����

�������

��������

������

������

�������

�������

������

�������

���������

�������

���������

���������

��������

�������

�����

�����

������

�������

��������

�����

����

�������

������������ ������

��������

������

��������

������

��������

���

����

���������

���

���

���� ����

� �� �� �� ���������

� �� �� �� ��������������

��������������������������������

��������������������������������

�����������

�����������

�����������

�����������

������������

�����������

�����

��

�������

�����

������� �������

Figure 3. Estimated crop-irrigation water use in Washington, 2000.

6 Estimated Domestic, Irrigation, and Industrial Water Use in Washington, 2000

 The estimates of self-supplied domestic water use are 

based on the county-level domestic per-capita rates for public-supplied water use and the self-supplied population of 

each county. The self-supplied population of each county was 

estimated by subtracting the population served by Class A 

Systems (Washington State Department of Health, 2001) from 

the total population of the county (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2001). For the purposes of this report, the public-supplied domestic-use category includes only those people who 

are served by a Class A public water-supply system. The 

self-supplied domestic-use category includes those who are 

self-supplied and those who are served by a Class B public 

water-supply system. Statewide, some 4.90 million people are 

served by a Class A system. The remaining 0.99 million people 

are either self-supplied (0.89 million people) or are served by a 

Class B system. 

CROP-IRRIGATION WATER USE

Crop-irrigation water use in Washington in the year 

2000 was estimated to be 3,365 thousand acre-ft (acre-feet) 

of water (3,005 Mgal/d; table 2). Ground-water use accounted 

for 25 percent (829 thousand acre-ft), and surface-water use 

accounted for 75 percent (2,535 thousand acre-ft) of the total 

use. The eight eastern Washington counties of Grant, Yakima, 

Franklin, Benton, Kittitas, Adams, Walla Walla, and Okanogan 

accounted for 92 percent (3,085 thousand acre-ft) of total cropirrigation water use in the State (fig. 3).

The crop-irrigation application rate for the State was 

estimated to be 2.2 (acre-ft/acre)/yr [(acre-ft per acre per year, 

or feet per year (ft/yr)], and the county application rates ranged 

from 0.3 to 3.2 ft/yr (fig. 4). For western Washington the 
������

����

��������

�����

�����

������

�����

�������

�������

�����

�������

��������

������

������

�������

�������

������

�������

���������

�������

���������

���������

��������

�������

�����

�����

������

�������

��������

�����

����

�������

������������ ������

��������

������

��������

������

��������

���

����

���������

���

���

���� ����

� �� �� �� ���������

� �� �� �� ��������������

�������������������������

���������������������������������

�������������������

���������

���������

���������

���������

���������

�����������

�������������

�����

��

�������

�����

������� �������

Figure 4. Estimated application rates for crop irrigation in Washington, 2000.

Crop-Irrigation Water Use 7

crop-irrigation application rate was estimated to be 1.2 

ft/yr, and the county rates ranged from 0.3 to 1.9 ft/yr. For 

eastern Washington the regional application rate was estimated 

to be 2.2 ft/yr, and the county application rates ranged from 0.6 

to 3.2 ft/yr.

Acreage and application data for crop-irrigation water use 

were not available for the 2000 growing season. Therefore, 

acreage and application data for 1998 (U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, 1998) were used to approximate conditions for the 

2000 growing season. The State-level acreage data were disaggregated to the county level on the basis of data from the 1997 

agricultural census (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1997).

The State-level application rate was disaggregated to the county 

level on the basis of data from the 1995 Washington water use 

data (U.S. Geological Survey, 1997c).

Units of Measurement

Water use is usually expressed as a rate; that is, a volume of water over a period of time. Common rates for water use are 

thousand gallons or 100 cubic feet, ccf (such as for a meter reading); gallons per minute, gpm (as in pumpage); gallons per 

day, gpd (as in use per person or per household); million gallons per day, Mgal/d (as in use per facility or per geographically 

or politically bounded area); billion gallons per day, bgd (as in a national total); or acre-feet, acre-ft (most commonly used for 

irrigation water use and in the western United States). 
������

����

��������

�����

�����

������

�����

�������

�������

�����

�������

��������

������

������

�������

�������

������

�������

���������

�������

���������

���������

��������

�������

�����

�����

������

�������

��������

�����

����

�������

������������ ������

��������

������

��������

������

��������

���

����

���������

���

���

���� ����

� �� �� �� ���������

� �� �� �� ��������������

���������������������������������

��������������������������������������

��������

�����������

�����������

�����������

�����������

�����������

�����

��

�������

�����

������� �������

Figure 5. Estimated golf-course irrigation water use in Washington, 2000.

8 Estimated Domestic, Irrigation, and Industrial Water Use in Washington, 2000

GOLF-COURSE IRRIGATION WATER USE

Golf-course irrigation water use in Washington in the 

year 2000 was estimated to be 26.5 thousand acre-ft (23.6 

Mgal/d; table 3). Ground-water use accounted for 23 percent 

(6.20 thousand acre-ft) and surface-water use accounted for 

77 percent (20.3 thousand acre-ft) of the total use. The largest 

withdrawals for golf-course irrigation were in King, Pierce, 

Grant, Spokane, Whatcom, Yakima, Snohomish, and Benton 

Counties (fig. 5). These eight counties accounted for 61 percent 

(16.1 thousand acre-ft) of the total water used in Washington 

for golf-course irrigation. The golf-course irrigation application 

rate for the State was estimated to be 1.4 ft/yr, and the county 

application rates ranged from 0.3 to 3.2 ft/yr (fig. 6). 

Golf-course irrigation in western Washington was estimated to be 16.4 thousand acre-ft, or about 62 percent of the 

total State use. The largest withdrawals were in King, Pierce, 

Whatcom, and Snohomish Counties. Withdrawals in these 

four counties amounted to 9.49 thousand acre-ft, or about 36 

percent of the State total and 58 percent of the regional use. For 

western Washington, the golf-course irrigation application rate 

was estimated to be 1.2 ft/yr, and the county rates ranged from 

0.30 to 2.0 ft/yr. 

Golf-course irrigation in eastern Washington was estimated to be 10.1 thousand acre-ft, or about 38 percent of the 

total State use. The largest withdrawals were in Grant, Spokane, Yakima, and Benton Counties. Withdrawals in these four 

counties amounted to 6.60 thousand acre-ft, or about 25 percent 

of the State total and 82 percent of the regional use. For eastern 

Washington, the golf-course irrigation application rate was 

estimated to be 1.8 ft/yr, and the county rates ranged from 0.6 

to 3.2 ft/yr. 
Table 3. Estimated golf-course irrigation water use in Washington by county and source, 2000

[Values may not add up to totals due to independent rounding]

County

Water use 

(million gallons per day)

Water use 

(thousand acre-feet per year) Acres irrigated 

(thousand acres)

Application rate 

(acre-feet per 

acre per year) Ground 

water

Surface 

water

Total 

water

Ground 

water

Surface 

water

Total 

water 

 Adams 0.03 0.08 0.11 0.03 0.09 0.12 0.08 1.5

 Asotin .01 .10 .11 .01 .11 .12 .16 .8

 Benton .04 1.13 1.17 .04 1.27 1.31 .69 1.9

 Chelan .02 .71 .73 .02 .80 .82 .41 2.0

 Clallam .01 .41 .42 .01 .46 .47 .24 2.0 

 Clark .30 .61 .91 .34 .68 1.02 .65 1.6

 Columbia .00 .05 .05 .00 .06 .06 .04 1.5

 Cowlitz .00 .39 .39 .00 .44 .44 .36 1.2

 Douglas .02 .29 .31 .02 .33 .35 .24 1.5

 Ferry .00 .04 .04 .00 .04 .04 .04 1.0 

 Franklin .02 .15 .17 .02 .17 .19 .08 2.4

 Garfield .00 .04 .04 .00 .04 .04 .04 1.0

 Grant .26 1.78 2.04 .29 1.99 2.28 .89 2.6

 Grays Harbor .09 .22 .31 .10 .25 .35 .28 1.3

 Island .14 .21 .35 .16 .23 .39 .49 .8 

 Jefferson .11 .21 .32 .12 .24 .36 .20 1.8

 King 1.26 2.42 3.68 1.41 2.71 4.12 3.73 1.1

 Kitsap .21 .77 .98 .23 .86 1.09 .89 1.2

 Kittitas .00 .46 .46 .00 .52 .52 .16 3.2

 Klickitat .04 .09 .13 .04 .10 .14 .08 1.8 

 Lewis .10 .32 .42 .11 .36 .47 .36 1.2

 Lincoln .06 .12 .18 .07 .13 .20 .20 1.0

 Mason .12 .23 .35 .13 .26 .39 .32 1.2

 Okanogan .04 .29 .33 .05 .33 .38 .20 1.9

 Pacific .02 .11 .13 .02 .12 .14 .12 1.2 

 Pend Oreille .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 0

 Pierce .79 1.46 2.25 .89 1.63 2.52 1.82 1.4

 San Juan .00 .03 .03 .00 .03 .03 .12 .3

 Skagit .16 .29 .45 .18 .33 .51 .45 1.1

 Skamania .00 .21 .21 .00 .23 .23 .20 1.2 

 Snohomish .35 .91 1.26 .39 1.02 1.41 1.54 .9

 Spokane .49 .92 1.41 .55 1.03 1.58 1.26 1.3

 Stevens .01 .12 .13 .01 .13 .14 .12 1.2

 Thurston .29 .56 .85 .33 .63 .96 .69 1.4

 Wahkiakum .01 .04 .05 .01 .05 .06 .04 1.5 

 Walla Walla .04 .19 .23 .04 .21 .25 .16 1.6

 Whatcom .45 .84 1.29 .50 .94 1.44 1.22 1.2

 Whitman .01 .07 .08 .01 .08 .09 .15 .6

 Yakima .06 1.21 1.27 .07 1.36 1.43 .57 2.5 

State 5.56 18.1 23.6 6.2 20.3 26.5 19.3 1.4

Golf-Course Irrigation Water Use 9
������

����

��������

�����

�����

������

�����

�������

�������

�����

�������

��������

������

������

�������

�������

������

�������

���������

�������

���������

���������

��������

�������

�����

�����

������

�������

��������

�����

����

�������

������������ ������

��������

������

��������

������

��������

���

����

���������

���

���

���� ����

� �� �� �� ���������

� �� �� �� ��������������

�����������

��������������������������������

�������������������������������������

���������������

�������

���������

���������

���������

���������

�������������

�����

��

�������

�����

������� �������

Figure 6. Estimated application rates for golf-course irrigation in Washington, 2000.

10 Estimated Domestic, Irrigation, and Industrial Water Use in Washington, 2000

Information on the location and size (number of holes) of 

golf courses in Washington was obtained on the World Wide 

Web at the URLs www.worldgolf.com and www.golfcourse.

com. The number of holes per course was aggregated to the 

county level and the irrigated acreage was estimated on the 

basis of 4.5 acres per hole (Richard L. Marella, U.S. Geological 

Survey, oral commun., 2001). County-level water use for golfcourse irrigation was estimated by multiplying the estimated 

acres per county by the estimated application rates from the 

crop-irrigation category.

INDUSTRIAL WATER USE

Industrial water use in Washington in the year 2000 

was estimated to be 681 Mgal/d (table 4). Public water-supply systems delivered only 9 percent (63.5 Mgal/d) of the total 

industrial use. Self-supplied fresh ground water accounted 

for 20 percent (138 Mgal/d), self-supplied fresh surface water 

accounted for 64 percent (439 Mgal/d), and self-supplied saline 

surface water accounted for the remaining 7 percent (39.9 

Mgal/d) of the total industrial use. The largest industrial withdrawals were in Cowlitz, Clark, Spokane, Snohomish, Pierce, 

Benton, Whatcom, and Walla Walla Counties (fig. 7). These 

eight counties accounted for 83 percent (563 Mgal/d) of the 

total industrial water use in Washington.

Industrial water use in western Washington was estimated 

to be 488 Mgal/d, or 77 percent of the total State use. Public 

water-supply systems delivered 9 percent (45.9 Mgal/d) of the 

regional use. Self-supplied fresh ground water accounted for 

20 percent (96.8 Mgal/d), self-supplied fresh surface water 

accounted for 63 percent (305 Mgal/d), and self-supplied saline 

surface water accounted for 8 percent (39.9 Mgal/d). The 

largest industrial withdrawals in western Washington were in 

Cowlitz, Clark, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties. These four 

counties accounted for 70 percent (343 Mgal/d) of the regional 

industrial use and 50 percent of the State total industrial water 

use.
Table 4. Estimated industrial water use in Washington, by county and source, 2000

[Values may not add up to totals due to independent rounding; Abbreviations: Mgal/d, million gallons per day]

County

Self-supplied withdrawals (Mgal/d) Public 

supplied 

deliveries

(Mgal/d)

Total water 

use

(Mgal/d)

Ground water Surface water Total water

Fresh Fresh Saline Total

Fresh

Fresh + 

saline 

 Adams 2.23 0.00 0.00 2.23 2.23 3.29 5.52

 Asotin .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00

 Benton 9.76 65.3 .00 75.1 75.1 .00 75.1 

 Chelan .00 14.5 .00 14.5 14.5 .12 14.6 

 Clallam .02 .01 .00 .03 .03 .15 .18

 Clark 68.8 61.0 .00 130 130 1.76 132 

 Columbia .08 .00 .00 .08 .08 .00 .08

 Cowlitz .00 152 .00 152 152 .00 152

 Douglas 3.34 .00 .00 3.34 3.34 .00 3.34 

 Ferry .29 .00 .00 .29 .29 .00 .29

 Franklin 1.75 .00 .00 1.75 1.75 .00 1.75

 Garfield .01 .00 .00 .01 .01 .00 .01 

 Grant 3.21 .00 .00 3.21 3.21 4.42 7.63

 Grays Harbor 1.22 .01 7.52 1.23 8.75 .18 8.93

 Island .01 .00 .00 .01 .01 .00 .01 

 Jefferson .00 .00 6.94 .00 6.94 .00 6.94

 King 3.12 2.66 .00 5.78 5.78 4.44 10.2 

 Kitsap .02 .07 .00 .09 .09 2.75 2.84 

 Kittitas 1.41 .00 .00 1.41 1.41 .01 1.42

 Klickitat .00 2.78 .00 2.78 2.78 .00 2.78

 Lewis 3.07 .00 .00 3.07 3.07 .31 3.38 

 Lincoln .01 .00 .00 .01 .01 .01 0.02

 Mason .41 9.75 .00 10.2 10.2 .00 10.2 

 Okanogan 3.78 .00 .00 3.78 3.78 .00 3.78 

 Pacific .20 .28 .00 .48 .48 .05 .53

 Pend Oreille .00 .92 .00 .92 .92 .00 .92

 Pierce 12.9 4.74 25.4 17.6 43.0 .80 43.8 

 San Juan .39 .00 .00 .39 .39 .01 .40

 Skagit .01 .02 .00 .03 .03 .25 .28

 Skamania .00 11.3 .00 11.3 11.3 .01 11.3 

 Snohomish 2.33 55.9 .00 58.2 58.2 .68 58.9 

 Spokane 8.20 35.0 .00 43.2 43.2 1.44 44.6 

 Stevens .00 .12 .00 .12 .12 .60 .72 

 Thurston 4.18 .00 .00 4.18 4.18 2.97 7.15

 Wahkiakum .07 .00 .00 .07 .07 .00 .07

 Walla Walla .82 15.5 .00 16.3 16.3 1.08 17.4 

 Whatcom .00 7.33 .00 7.33 7.33 31.5 38.8 

 Whitman .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .03 .03

 Yakima 6.51 .00 .00 6.51 6.51 6.68 13.2 

 State 138 439 39.9 577 617 63.5 681

Industrial Water Use 11
Figure 7. Estimated industrial water use in Washington, 2000.

������

����

��������

�����

�����

������

�����

�������

�������

�����

�������

��������

������

������

�������

�������

������

�������

���������

�������

���������

���������

��������

�������

�����

�����

������

�������

��������

�����

����

�������

������������ ������

��������

������

��������

������

��������

���

����

���������

���

���

���� ����

� �� �� �� ���������

� �� �� �� ��������������

������������������������������

�������������������������

��������

�����������

�����������

�����������

����������

�����������

�������������

�����

��

�������

�����

������� �������

12 Estimated Domestic, Irrigation, and Industrial Water Use in Washington, 2000

Industrial water-use data for Washington have not been 

collected in a comprehensive manner since 1985. Since then, 

the USGS in Washington has generated estimates of industrial 

water use using changes in industrial hours as reported by the 

U.S. Department of Commerce. The estimates of self-supplied 

industrial water use in 2000 are based on similar estimates from 

the USGS 1995 Water Use Compilation that were modified on 

the basis of changes in the number of industrial hours worked 

between 1992 and 1997 (U.S. Department of Commerce, 

1998). The estimate of public-supplied industrial water use 

is based on data from the USGS inventory of selected publicwater-supply systems discussed in the section “Domestic Water 

Use.” 

Industrial water use in eastern Washington was estimated 

to be 193 Mgal/d, or 28 percent of the total State use. Public 

water-supply systems delivered 9 percent (17.7 Mgal/d) of the 

regional use. Self-supplied fresh ground water accounted for 

21 percent (41.4 Mgal/d), and self-supplied fresh surface water 

was estimated to be 70 percent (134 Mgal/d). The largest industrial withdrawals in eastern Washington were in Benton, Spokane, Walla Walla, and Chelan Counties. These four counties 

accounted for 70 percent (152 Mgal/d) of the regional industrial 

use and 22 percent of the State total industrial water use.
Selected References 13

SUMMARY

In the year 2000, domestic water use in Washington was 

estimated to be 674 Mgal/d (million gallons per day), with 

an estimated per-capita rate of 114 gal/d (gallons per day). 

Domestic per-capita rates at the county level ranged from 87 

to 238 gal/d. For western Washington, domestic water use was 

estimated to be 445 Mgal/d, the regional per-capita rate was 

estimated to be 97 gal/d, and county per-capita rates ranged 

from 87 to 158 gal/d. For eastern Washington, domestic water 

use was estimated to be 229 Mgal/d, the regional per-capita rate 

was estimated to be 175 gal/d, and the county per-capita rates 

ranged from 102 to 238 gal/d.

Crop-irrigation water use in Washington was estimated to 

be 3,365 thousand acre-ft (3,005 Mgal/d), with an estimated 

application rate of 2.2 acre-feet per acre per year, or feet per 

year (ft/yr). For western Washington, the application rate was 

estimated to be 1.2 ft/yr, and the county rates ranged from 0.3 

to 1.9 ft/yr. For eastern Washington, the estimated application 

rate was 2.2 ft/yr, and the county application rates ranged from 

0.6 to 3.2 ft/yr.

Golf-course irrigation water use in Washington was estimated to be 26.5 thousand acre-ft (23.6 Mgal/d), with an estimated application rate of 1.4 ft/yr. For western Washington, the 

application rate was estimated to be 1.2 ft/yr, and the county 

rates ranged from 0.3 to 2.0 ft/yr. For eastern Washington, the 

estimated application rate was 1.8 ft/yr, and the county application rates ranged from 0.6 to 3.2 ft/yr.

Industrial water use in Washington was estimated to be 

681 Mgal/d. Industrial water use in western Washington was 

estimated to be 488 Mgal/d, or 77 percent of the State industrial 

use. Industrial water use in eastern Washington was estimated 

to be 193 Mgal/d, or 28 percent of the State total. 

Water use in Washington has evolved in the past century 

from meager domestic and stock water needs to the current 

complex requirements of domestic water users, large irrigation 

projects, industrial plants, fish habitat, and recreation. Historically, domestic, irrigation, and industrial water use account 

for about 92 percent estimated offstream water use in Washington. Although advances have been made in the ability to 

control, divert, and develop water supplies, insufficient effort 

has gone into keeping accurate and complete records of the 

actual amounts of water being used. With increasing competition for water, water-use information is of considerable value 

in determining water availability and in making sound resource 

management decisions. Although the State of Washington has 

begun to collect water-use information in selected basins, there 

is currently no statewide program requiring the reporting of 

water-use information to the State.

SELECTED REFERENCES

Dion, N.P., 1985, Washington ground-water resources, in

U.S. Geological Survey, 1985, National Water Summary 

1984: Hydrologic events, selected water-quality trends, and 

ground-water resources: U.S. Geological Survey WaterSupply Paper 2275, p. 433-438.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1997, 1997 census of agriculture: National Agricultural Statistics Service, accessed May 

21, 2001, at http://www.nass/usda.gov/census/census97/volume1/wa-47.

U.S. Department of Agriculture,1998, 1998 farm and ranch 

irrigation survey: National Agricultural Statistics Service, 

accessed May 21, 2001, at http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/

census97/frisaq.

U.S. Department of Commerce, 1998, 1997 census of manufactures, MC97-A-48, Geographic Area Series: Washington: 

accessed July 30, 2001, at http://www.census.gov/epcd/

www/97EC31.htm.

U.S. Department of Commerce, 2001, population census 2000: 

Bureau of the Census, accessed May 16, 2001, at 

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/Basic FactsTable.

Washington State Department of Health, 2001, Public 

Water Systems data base: Washington State Department of 

Health data available on the Web, accessed January 10, 2001, 

at http://ww3/doh.wa.gov/sadie.

Williams, J.R., 1986, Washington surface-water resources, 

in Moody, D.E., Chase, E.B., and Aronson, D.A., 1986, 

National Water Summary 1985: Hydrologic events and surface-water resources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply 

Paper 2300, p. 473-478.

U.S. Geological Survey Water-Use Reports

[in order of date published]

MacKichan, K.A., 1951, Estimated water use in 

the United States—1950: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 

115, 13 p.

MacKichan, K.A., 1957, Estimated water use in 

the United States, 1955: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 

398, 18 p.
14 Estimated Domestic, Irrigation, and Industrial Water Use in Washington, 2000

MacKichan, K.A., and Kammerer, J.C., 1961, Estimated water 

use in the United States, 1960: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 456, 44 p.

Laird, L.B., and Walters, K.L., 1967, Municipal, industrial, and 

irrigation water use in Washington, 1965: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report, 13 p.

Murray, C.R., 1968, Estimated water use in the United States, 

1965: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 556, 53 p.

Parker, G.G., 1971, Municipal, industrial, and irrigation water 

use in Washington, 1970: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report, 21 p.

Murray, C.R., and Reeves, E.B., 1972, Estimated water use in 

the United States in 1970: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 

676, 37 p.

Murray, C.R., and Reeves, E.B, 1977a, Estimated water use in 

the United States in 1975: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 

765, 39 p.

Dion, N.P., and Lum, W.E., II., 1977b, Municipal, industrial, 

and irrigation water use in Washington, 1975: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-308, 34 p.

Solley, W.B., Chase, E.B., and Mann, W.B., IV., 1983, Estimated use of water in the United States in 1980: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1001, 56 p.

Solley, W.B., Merk, C.F., and Pierce. R.R., 1988, Estimated 

use of water in the United States in 1985: U.S. Geological 

Survey Circular 1004, 82 p.

Solley, W.B., Pierce, R.R., and Perlman, H.A., 1993, Estimated 

use of water in the United States in 1990: U.S. Geological 

Survey Circular 1081, 76 p.

U.S. Geological Survey, 1997a, Estimated water use in Washington, 1985: U.S. Geological Survey data available on the 

Web, accessed January 10, 2001, at http://wa.water.usgs.

gov/data/wuse/main.cnty.85.txt.

U.S. Geological Survey, 1997b, Estimated water use in Washington, 1990: U.S. Geological Survey data available on the 

Web, accessed January 10, 2001, at http://wa.water.usgs.

gov/data/wuse/main.cnty.90.txt.

U.S. Geological Survey, 1997c, Estimated water use in Washington, 1995: U.S. Geological Survey data available on the 

Web, accessed January 10, 2001, at http://wa.water.usgs.

gov/data/wuse/main.cnty.95.txt.

Solley, W.B., Pierce, R.R., and Perlamn, H.A., 1998, Estimated 

water use in the United States in 1995: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1200, 71 p.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2003, Estimated water use in Washington, 2000: U.S. Geological Survey data available on the Web, 

accessed January 10, 2001, at http://wa.water.usgs.gov/data/

wuse/main.cnty.00.txt.

APPENDIX A. CONCEPTS AND TERMS

The concepts and terms in this appendix are modified 

from the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Handbook of Recommended Methods for Water Data Acquisition, available on 

the Web at http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/chapter11/chapter11M.

html, and from its guidelines for preparation of State water-use 

estimates.

Class A system—A public water-supply system that 

has a full-time service population of at least 25 people or that 

has at least 15 connections. 

Class B system—A public water-supply system that has 

a full-time service population of less than 25 people or that has 

fewer than 15 connections.

Crop-irrigation water use is water that is applied by an 

irrigation system to sustain plant growth in all agricultural and 

horticultural vegetation. It also includes water that is applied 

for pre-irrigation, frost protection, chemical application, weed 

control, field preparation, crop cooling, harvesting, dust suppression, and for the leaching of salts from the root zone. 

Domestic water use includes water used for household 

purposes such as drinking, food preparation, bathing, washing 

clothes and dishes, flushing toilets, car washing, and watering 

lawns and gardens. The largest components of domestic use 

can be inside household uses (bathing, flushing toilets, and so 

forth) or outside household uses (lawn and garden watering, car 

washing, and so forth), depending on the climate. Typically, the 

largest components of inside household use are toilet flushing (39 percent) and bathing (30 percent). Outside household 

uses range from near zero in humid areas to 60 percent of total 

domestic use in arid areas. Domestic water may come from a 

public water-supply system or be self supplied.
Appendix A 15

Golf-course irrigation water use is water applied to public and private golf courses by an irrigation system to maintain 

the greens, tees, fairways, and other grass areas of the course. 

Industrial water use includes total fresh and saline 

withdrawals from ground and surface sources that are used for 

fabrication, processing, product washing, cooling, plant cleaning, and other sanitary purposes by businesses engaged in the 

manufacturing or processing of products such as steel, chemical and allied products, paper and allied products, smelting, 

and petroleum refining. The category also includes water used 

to manufacture and package products, log trees, produce pulp 

and paper, publish written materials, refine petroleum, tan and 

finish leather, cut and process stone, smelt and refine metals 

including steel, among other things. The water may be obtained 

from a pubic supply or may be self supplied. See also public 

water-supply system and self-supplied water. The five major 

industrial groups that use the most water per facility are:

• Food and kindred products—the manufacture or processing of foods and beverages for human consumption and 

related products such as ice, vegetable and animal fats and 

oils, and prepared feeds for animals and fowls

• Paper and allied products—the manufacture of pulps from 

wood and fibers; the manufacture of paper and paperboard

• Chemicals and allied products—the production of chemicals and chemical products such as drugs, cosmetics, and 

soaps

• Petroleum refining and related industries—petroleum 

refining and the manufacture of paving materials, roofing 

materials, and lubricating oils and greases

• Primary metals industries—smelting and refining of ferrous and nonferrous metals from ore, pig, or scrap; alloying metals; manufacturing nails, spikes, and insulated 

wire and cable

Instream water use—Use of water while it remains in 

the stream (surface water) or aquifer (ground water). Instream 

uses include hydroelectric power generation, recreation, 

transportation, waste assimilation, aesthetics, cultural resource 

preservation, fish and wildlife preservation, biodiversity, wetlands preservation, freshwater dilution of saline estuaries, and 

maintenance of the riparian zone. 

Municipal water system—A water-supply system owned 

by a governmental organization (such as a town or city), serving residential and non-residential users.

Non-crop irrigation water use is water used to irrigate 

parks, nurseries, turf farms, cemeteries, and other landscaped 

areas exclusive of golf courses. Non-crop irrigation is not 

included in this report. 

Non-municipal water system—A water-supply system 

serving single-family homes with yards and gardens.

Offstream water use—Use of water that has been 

removed from a ground- or surface-water source. Offstream 

water use includes domestic and public-water supply, industry, 

irrigation, livestock, cooling for thermoelectric power generation, mining, and domestic purposes. Sometimes it is called 

off-channel or withdrawal use.

Other—A non-municipal water-supply system serving 

mobile home parks, apartment buildings, and resorts.

Public water-supply system—A public or privately 

owned facility that supplies water for use by cities, towns, 

water districts, mobile-home parks, Indian reservations, military bases, and other similar institutions. Water delivered by 

public systems may be ground water, surface water, or a mixture of both. The delivered water is used for a variety of uses, 

such as domestic, commercial, thermoelectric power, industrial, 

and public water use. In addition, some public-supplied water is 

used for water and wastewater treatment, public services such 

as pools, parks, and city buildings, or is lost through system 

leaks and maintenance. 

Self-supplied water—Water withdrawn from a surfacewater or a ground-water source by a user and not obtained from 

a public supply.

Water use, in the broadest sense, pertains to the interaction of human activity with and its influence on the hydrologic 

cycle and includes elements such as self-supplied withdrawal, 

public-supply delivery, consumptive use, wastewater release, 

reclaimed wastewater, return flow, and instream use. In a 

restrictive sense, water use refers to water that is actually used 

for a specific purpose, such as for domestic use, irrigation, 

or industrial processing. Water use is divided into two types, 

offstream and instream use. 

Withdrawal—The quantity of water removed from a 

ground-water source or diverted from a surface-water source to 

the point of use.
16 Estimated Domestic, Irrigation, and Industrial Water Use in Washington, 2000

U.S. Department of the Interior

Gale A. Norton, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Charles G. Groat, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2004

For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services

Box 25286, Denver Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225-0286

For more information about the USGS and its products:

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS

World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/

Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for 

descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the 

U.S. Government.

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be 

secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any 

copyrighted materials contained within this report.

Suggested citation:

Lane, R.C., 2004, Estimated domestic, irrigation, and industrial 

 water use in Washington, 2000: U.S. Geological Survey 

 Scientific Investigations Report 2004–5015, 16 p.

Manuscript approved for publication, February 4, 2004

Prepared by the Publishing Group, U.S. Geological Survey, 

 Washington Water Science Center, Tacoma, Washington

USGS Publishing staff: Judith A. Wayenberg, Bob Crist,

 Bill Gibbs, David Holter

For more information concerning this report, contact the 

 Washington Water Science Center Director, 

U.S. Geological Survey,1201 Pacific Avenue – Suite 600 

Tacoma, Washington 98402

http://wa.water.usgs.gov

Water 

Hoodsport in the Olympic National Park, Washington. (Photograph taken by Chad Flynn, Volunteer, U.S. Geological Survey, Sept. 18, 2002.)